Titled “Asbury Park,” this 1947 US Geological Survey map presents the New Jersey shore in the disciplined, information-rich language of a 1:24,000 topographic quadrangle. Centered on the coastal communities around Belmar, Bradley Beach, and Manasquan, it captures a landscape poised between resort tradition and postwar suburban transformation. The Atlantic Ocean forms the eastern margin, while a lattice of streets, railways, lakes, and low coastal elevations reveals the settled character of Monmouth County’s shore towns. Published in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the map records a moment when seaside communities were expanding beyond seasonal recreation into more permanent residential landscapes, making it both a navigational document and a finely detailed historical portrait.

The US Geological Survey brought to this map the precision and restraint for which its topographic work is renowned. Contour lines describe the modest but meaningful shifts in elevation across the coastal plain, while roads, railways, water bodies, and civic features are arranged with the clarity typical of mid-century federal cartography. The gridded format and legible legend make the terrain intelligible at a glance, yet the map rewards close study with a wealth of local detail. Its traditional topographic style gives equal importance to natural form and human infrastructure, balancing scientific measurement with the quiet elegance of systematic design. For collectors, it represents the USGS at its most practical and visually authoritative.

Along the shoreline, the map traces a sequence of celebrated New Jersey beach communities, including Bradley Beach, Belmar, Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Ocean Grove, and Manasquan. These towns, each with its own resort identity, appear as compact grids set against the long, open edge of the Atlantic. Lakes and inlets interrupt the urban pattern: Fletcher Lake, Lake Como, and Deal Lake add distinctive inland water features to the otherwise linear coast. The map shows how these communities developed around both transportation and access to the sea, with streets running toward the beaches and rail lines serving the shore. It is a compelling record of the built environment before later decades of intensified coastal development.

Beyond the oceanfront, the quadrangle reveals the quieter inland geography of West Belmar, Neptune, Shady Grove, and surrounding neighborhoods. Here the terrain opens into a more varied pattern of roads, railways, parks, and undeveloped or lightly developed land. Monmouth County Park and Lake Como Park appear within a landscape where civic recreation, transportation corridors, and residential settlement were beginning to knit together more densely. The topographic contours are subtle, reflecting the low relief of the coastal plain, yet they remain essential to understanding drainage, development, and the relationship between inland communities and nearby water. The result is a map that makes even gentle terrain feel carefully observed and historically alive.

As a 1947 document, “Asbury Park” offers a valuable snapshot of the New Jersey shore at a pivotal moment. The map predates many later changes associated with automobile-oriented growth, expanded suburbs, and intensified coastal construction, allowing today’s viewer to compare familiar shore towns with their mid-century forms. Belmar, Bradley Beach, Manasquan, and their neighbors were already well established, but the surrounding roads and open spaces hint at the transformations soon to come. Its combination of scientific accuracy and local specificity makes the map especially evocative: a record of beaches, lakes, rail lines, streets, and communities at the threshold of modern suburban coastal life.

Cities, towns and places on this map

• Belmar
• Bradley Beach
• Manasquan
• Spring Lake
• Lake Como
• West Belmar
• Deal Lake
• Neptune
• Sea Girt
• Atlantic Ocean
• Ocean Grove
• Shady Grove
• Fletcher Lake
• Lake Como Park
• Monmouth County Park
• Various unnamed roads, railways, and trails

Historical context & cartographic details

• Map name: Asbury Park
• Produced by the US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Dated and published in 1947
• Historical 1:24,000 topographical map
• Uses a traditional topographic format with contour lines to show elevation changes
• Features a clear, easy-to-read legend and grid for navigation and terrain interpretation
• Shows lakes, coastal areas, and varied elevations, highlighting the geographic character of the region
• Reflects the coastal New Jersey landscape during a period when suburbanization was beginning to shape local communities
• Provides a historical snapshot before later urban development, especially in coastal and populated areas
• Roads are clearly marked, reflecting the structured cartographic style typical of USGS maps

Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.

Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.

Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.

With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.